The Cicero Prep Academy Centurions are on the road again on Friday to play the North Phoenix Preparatory Academy Gladiators at 6:00 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Last Saturday, Cicero Prep Academy didn't have quite enough to beat Benjamin Franklin and fell 2-1.
Cicero Prep Academy started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last two. The match finished with set scores of 24-26, 25-19, 15-9.
Cicero Prep Academy's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Layla Hrabe, who had six aces, a kill, and a kill, and Nicole Damian, who had eight digs, six kills, four aces, and four aces. That's the most aces Damian has posted in her last seven matches.
Even though they lost, Cicero Prep Academy was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 11 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least five aces in ten consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, North Phoenix Preparatory Academy's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They fell just short of Wickenburg by a score of 2-1.
North Phoenix Preparatory Academy started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last two. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 11-25, 25-17, 15-5.
Cicero Prep Academy's record now sits at 10-8. As for North Phoenix Preparatory Academy, their record is now 8-2.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Cicero Prep Academy has really dialed in their serving game this season, having averaged 9.1 aces per game. However, it's not like North Phoenix Preparatory Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 12.9. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Cicero Prep Academy beat North Phoenix Preparatory Academy 3-1 in their previous matchup back in November of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cicero Prep Academy since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
